Car plows into Bortolami’s Pizzeria in Hazel Dell

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Two customers were injured in the crash that happened Tuesday afternoon

HAZEL DELL — Two customers were hurt Tuesday afternoon when a driver mistook the gas pedal for the brake and slammed into Bortolami’s Pizzeria restaurant at 9901 NE 7th Avenue in Hazel Dell.

A car plowed through the front of Bortolami’s Pizzeria in Hazel Dell on Tuesday, injuring two customers. Photo courtesy Clark County Fire District 6

First responders with Clark County Fire District 6 and the Clark County Sheriff’s office found a Toyota Camry fully inside the restaurant. The collision shoved tables and dividers towards the back of the restaurant, pinning a woman who was having dinner with her wife.

Clark County Sergeant Craig Randall (left) and another man inspect the damage after a car plowed into Bortolami’s Pizzeria in Hazel Dell on Tuesday. Photo courtesy Clark County Fire District 6

The vehicle was still running and in gear when responders arrived around 2:40 p.m. They were able to put the vehicle in neutral, rolling it backward and freeing the woman who was pinned. Due to the nature of the collision, she was treated as a trauma patient but a release from the Sheriff’s office says she was conscious and talking with paramedics before being transported to Legacy Salmon Creek. One other customer suffered minor injuries in the crash but was not taken to the hospital.

A woman is taken away on a stretcher after she was injured when a car slammed into Bortolami’s Pizzeria in Hazel Dell on Tuesday. Photo courtesy Clark County Fire District 6

The driver, a 79-year-old woman identified as the owner of the building, told deputies her foot slipped off the brake pedal, hitting the gas and accelerating into the building. She was shaken up, but otherwise uninjured in the crash. The Sheriff’s office release says there are no plans to issue any citations or charges in the case.

Crews with Clark County FD 6 work to clean up the damage after a car plowed through the front of Bortolami’s Pizzeria in Hazel Dell on Tuesday. Photo courtesy Clark County Fire District 6

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About The Author

Chris Brown comes to Clark County Today with 15 years of local news experience as a reporter, editor, and anchor at KXL News Radio and KOIN-6 TV in Portland. In 2016, he won an Oregon Association of Broadcaster's award for Best Investigative Reporting for a series on America's Violent Youth. He has also been awarded by the Associated Press for Best Breaking News coverage as editor of Portland's Morning News following the 2015 school shooting at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon.
The second oldest of eight home-schooled children, Brown graduated from high school two years early. After several odd jobs, he earned an internship at KXL Radio, eventually working his way into a full-time job.
Brown has lived in Clark County his entire life, and is very excited at the opportunity to now focus full-time on the significant stories happening in his own back yard, rather than across “the river.’’ After a few years in Vancouver, he recently moved back to Battle Ground with his wife and two young daughters.
When he's not working to report what's happening in Clark County, Brown enjoys spending time with his family, playing music, taking pictures, or working in the yard. He also actually does enjoy long walks on the beach, and sunsets.